BACTERIAL FLORA OF VULVAL DISCHARGES AND MAMMARY SECRETIONS IN SOWS SUFFERING PERI-PARTURIENT DISEASES IN A LARGE INDOOR BREEDING UNIT
P.M. Olson and G. Bilkei

Abstract
In a large East-European indoor pig production unit, the sows suffering concurrent peri-parturient diseases (mastitis, metritis, and agalactia, MMA) and vulval discharges were subjected to bacteriological analysis of their discharges and mammary secretions.
All animals were infected with Escherichia coli. The majority of the sows revealed concurrently Escherichia coli, klebsiella spp, proteus spp, gram-positive streptococci and staphylococci, both in mammary gland secretions and in vulval discharges. Of 27% of the sows, Actinobaculum suis was found in the vulval discharges, whilst this organism was not found in mammary secretions. In contrast, mammary secretions were, in 21.4% of the cases, infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but this organism was not found in the vulval discharges of the sows. In 15.2% of vulval discharges and 0.2% of the mammary excretions, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was found.

Implications: The present results indicate that in Escherichia coli caused peri-parturient diseases, the non-coliform bacterial flora of the vulval discharges and mammary secretions may contribute to the mastitis, metritis, and agalactia complex. The fact that similar bacteria were found in vulval discharges and mammary secretions suggests an identical aetiology of these syndromes. The role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in the aetiology of peri-parturient diseases of the sow need further evaluation.

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